Bob Carr says UN win is tribute to Australia's global standing

From January the first next year Australia has a seat on the big table at the United Nations. Overnight it won a seat on the UN Security Council, easily securing its position in the first round of voting. The Foreign Minister Bob Carr says Australia is highly regarded and it will not blindly follow American policy on the Council. Australia joins three other new non permanent members - Rwanda, Argentina, and South Korea.

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TONY EASTLEY: Australia joins three other new non-permanent members - Rwanda, Argentina, and South Korea.

One of the happiest men in New York is Australia's Foreign Minister.

Bob Carr, congratulations. Were you surprised that it was settled so quickly?

BOB CARR: Yes I was. In previous ballots there was, we're told, a gap between promised support and actual delivered support but this time around, we got the votes we were promised. It's a wonderful heart-warming endorsement of Australia as a good local citizen. It's countries saying 'We like Australia. We think Australia's role is good and positive and we want to see Australia provide leadership'.

TONY EASTLEY: How much did the seat cost us?

BOB CARR: We invested under $25 million, a little under $25 million over five years and if we had lost I would have argued that that was money well spent because it brought diplomats at the UN to Australia, over 100 of them, over 100 UN ambassadors to Australia who saw our multiculturalism, the sophistication of our and competitiveness of our economy and the impressive style of Australian cities and had a different image of our country as a result.

It forced us to intensify our diplomacy with, for example, Africa.

TONY EASTLEY: You don't think they knew about Australia though before you brought them out here?

BOB CARR: They didn't. They had, I'm sad to say, a few rough and ready and clichladen concepts of Australia.

TONY EASTLEY: Did we promise other incentives on top of the $25 million over five years?

TONY EASTLEY: The Security Council has been criticised for lack of action say over Syria, something we will be facing now that we've got a seat at the big table. We'll have to stand up and be counted. What is our position on Syria? Do we support intervention for instance?

BOB CARR: We want the enforcement of the six-point Kofi Annan peace plan now being pursued by his successor as special representative and we want above all, out of those six points, the ceasefire, the enforcement of a ceasefire and political negotiations to achieve a transition in the government of Syria.

TONY EASTLEY: But that plan has failed Mr Carr, hasn't it? It's been a dismal failure so far.

BOB CARR: Yeah, yeah Tony. No prizes for saying that.

In the meantime I've been advancing a plan, a minimalist, a pared back plan to see that all sides of the conflict allow medical equipment - this is international law by the way - allow medical equipment and supplies to reach the suffering people of Syria and enable hospitals to be protected and not used as instruments of war.

TONY EASTLEY: Bob Carr, international critics of Australia will say that this really doesn't make much difference because Australia will simply align itself to the US in the UN Security Council. What do you say to that?

BOB CARR: Well, we've promoted an arms trade treaty without American support. We are one of the seven original sponsors, along with nations from the Caribbean, South America and Africa and the Pacific seeking decisive action to reign in this spread of light weapons and ammunitions.

We did not sadly, have American support in that. And we will advance, we will speak up for the interests of middle powers and small powers. We have a mandate to do that.

TONY EASTLEY: And if it means going against the US you will?

BOB CARR: Of course it does and in the past governments in Australia - especially I've got to say Labor governments - have been prepared to depart from America.

That said, I've got to say that the Obama administration has been very alive to most of the concerns and foreign policy priorities we've got. On climate change, for example, we find ourselves aligned with them, on advancing the interests of women and girls to accelerate development in poor countries.

We find that their commitment, their policy commitment is exemplary.

TONY EASTLEY: The Foreign Minister, Senator Bob Carr in New York.

The man who kick-started Australia's campaign for the seat, the former prime minister Kevin Rudd, has issued a statement this morning congratulating the entire Australian diplomatic service, the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister.

Mr Rudd has also thanked members of the international community "who have placed their confidence in Australia to uphold the global rules-based order" - his words.

The Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says it's important not to squander the opportunity.

TONY ABBOTT: It's just a two-year term what we won today at the cost of many, many tens of millions of dollars and some dislocation of our ordinary diplomatic efforts but it is two years that we've now got at this particular top table and let's hope we can make the most of it.